Bands, and their counterparts, i.e. tubular labels, are used commonly for indicating the seal integrity of a container and for enhancing product packaging, respectively. In both the application of bands and tubular labels, a length of flat tubular thin-walled material is severed to form a cut sleeve, and the cut sleeve is placed over the container. If the purpose of the cut sleeve is to indicate whether the container has been opened after being initially sealed, the cut sleeve is relatively short and referred to as a band. If the cut sleeve is intended to cover a major portion of the container, the cut sleeve is relatively long and referred to as a label. Such bands and labels are typically formed from extruded or welded thermoplastic resin tubes, for example polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or polyethylene (PE). In many cases, the plastic tubes are pre-stretched radially so that they can be readily placed over a container and subsequently shrunk when subjected to heat.
A known machine for providing and applying bands to containers is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,305,578 entitled Heat-Shrinkable Band Application Machine and incorporated herein by reference. The machine described in this '578 patent performs the desired functions by advancing a length of film tubing, grasping an end portion of the film tube with angularly oriented suction cups, cutting the length of film tube from the supply, expanding the angularly held cut sleeve into a position offset from the film tube supply and releasing the suction cups as a plunger descends to push the cut sleeve onto a container being moved by a conveyor.